The Transformation of the Christian Funeral and the Declining Influence of Tradition

Funerary practices differ greatly even within larger religious traditions like Christianity. What happens to the body has traditionally been linked to sacred scripture and interpretation, but also cultural influences.

For much of Christian history, cremation was not an alternative for Christians. And in a nation that is largely Christian, 2015 marks the first time cremation has surpassed traditional burial/internment in the United States.

One thing that is true for both Christianity and Buddhism is the idea that funerary practices go back to the examples provided by their leaders and the events surrounding their deaths. Christians have been buried believing that the resurrection of the body, a formal and inveterate doctrine of Christianity, extends beyond Christ to believers as well. Though the idea of life beyond the grave differs in places even in the scriptures, the generally agreement is that believers united to Christ do not do so metaphorically or spiritually, but in their bodies. If the life of the body after death is of importance, than naturally Christians would go through great pains to get it right. Cremation was not allowed because it was seen as a desecration of the body. God needed the body parts pretty much in tact if he was going to raise that same body from the dead to its final glorification. This strong conviction about the body no doubt propels us in other areas, not to mention the prohibition against abortion. The body is something to be honored. Even martyrdoms, an extreme reaction to external challenges to the faith, were not upended by the death of their bodies. Enemies from warring Christian denominations participating in both the execution of Christians in pogroms or on the battlefield regularly dismembered the bodies knowing that the theological implications would be devastating for the victim (i.e., the possible dismemberment meant that the body could not be reassembled). Of course, decomposition was always known to them and so it was thought that the power of the holy person was in their bones. Like the valley in Ezekiel, the flesh could be reconstituted to the body…but if the bones were scattered, maybe not. Having the body remain intact was so important that an early Christian apologist Justin Martyr in a short tract wondered if Christians were regenerated in the heavenly realm with their reproductive parts and belly buttons! The location of burial was also important in some cultures but has largely been abandoned, having ceded to the more important demand for bodily burial. If a person was buried facing the wrong way, it was thought that they could miss the resurrection having their bodies turned backwards!

The easing of restrictions against cremation has perhaps been the biggest and most silent of all changes among Christians in the modern era. In 1964, the Roman Catholic Church "lifted" its ban on cremation, though it never formally elevated the practice to the same level of moral value as burials. In most cases where cremation is preferred, the ashes are still expected to be entombed or buried. This changing attitude towards burial may be attributed to growing secularism. Many people who claim Christianity simply are not linked to a church. Not being linked to church means there is no authority or oversight on these questions, or even concern. When unchurched Christians die, having no relationship with a church or a priest, it is often left to the family who might contact a local parish or church. These priests can preside over cremations, a fact that might be overlooked due to the fact that the priest does not know the individual personally, but nevertheless sees his role as a comforter rather than doctrinal scholar. A second influence that cannot be overlooked is economic. The cost of a funeral, including the casket, internment, church fees, wake, and post-funeral luncheon can be thousands of dollars. For those who cannot afford a burial, the tremendous pressure to honor the recently passed may lead them to other alternatives given the financial burden of burial. Cremation remains popular today because it is less expensive than burial. As money has for most of our religious history proven an equalizer against religious war; so it might be blamed here for the potential to overlook the doctrinal demands that prepare us for the Christian afterlife. And why not have a cremation? After all, an omnipotent god should have no problem reconstituting the body regardless if it has been spread over the sea or digested by wild animals.

Looking to our neighbors in the East, cremation in Buddhism has been around for more than two millennia, although it was interrupted for about 400 years, a movement led by Confucians who opposed cremation. In Japan, over 98% of the population is cremated today. This includes Japanese Christians as well. Though cremation is a cultural norm, the same has its origin in the literature of Buddhism. In the Mahaparinibanna Sutra, the historical Buddha is eventually cremated after an extended panegyric with his faithful follower Ananda. From the prior textual evidence, the meaning of this act is obvious: true Buddhahood is open and available to all and the body is only a transitory vehicle in samsara. The body that one seeks is the ultimate elevation of awakening and pure consciousness, what is known as the dharmakaya, the truth body. The monks are encouraged to cultivate reproach for the physical body and its functions, but not to the point of over-indulgence, asceticism, or self-immolation. This is called the middle way in Buddhism. The body is burned in this final act to demonstrate this ideology.



Buddhists gather around for a cremation ceremony in South Korea.

In Japan, the economy also drives the practicality of cremation. Space is very limited and funerals are expensive. Cremation on the other hand is not expensive. Cremated remains are easily transportable and a space-saving alternative. These arguments were forceful promulgated by advocates of cremation after the 1873 Tokyo ban. The argument was not made from Buddhism at the time, however, but instead that cremation adverted a public health crisis by preventing epidemic spreads of diseases, bodies took up too much space, and the ancestral separation of bodies (which would happen as space ran out) was a moral outrage. Advocates also looked to the West. Research in Europe suggested that cremation was a more sanitary way of disposing of bodies than burial for the sake of public health. Such factors may very well influence the way Japanese Christians ultimately find themselves conceding to cultural practices. But just like other influences that have come to us through secular society, the interpenetration between religion and culture remains. Burial no doubt is rapidly being lost on this present generation as an extension of doctrine, given that doctrine is rarely a concern in the modern liturgy (the outlet through which most people consume their faith), and Christianity in the West finds itself increasingly conceding to the dogmatism of an open culture that is increasingly suspicious of claims to authority.